The number of Derbyshire identity theft victims is on the increase, new figures show

'Identity Theft', source: GotCredit on Flickr, www.gotcredit.com

Published:15:21Wednesday 27 May 2015

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The number of people falling victim to identity theft in Derbyshire is on the increase, new figures show.

Data from fraud prevention service Cifas shows ​​34,151 confirmed instances of identity fraud in the UK were recorded in the first quarter of ​2015. Across Derbyshire, many areas were showing an increase in instances of identify theft in the figures, which compare 2012 to 2011.

Victims of identity crime in 2014 per thousand people by local authority, source: Cifas 2015

Identity fraud is when criminals abuse personal data to impersonate a victim or to create fictitious identities to obtain products and services.

According to the figures for the three-month period, credit cards were involved in 14,103 confirmed cases, while bank accounts were involved in 9,349 cases.

Cifas said 80 per cent of identity fraud in the first quarter was attempted online.

Simon Dukes, Cifas chief executive, said: “Fraud figures fluctuate over time, as fraudsters adapt and try new ways of achieving their aims.

“What these figures show is that identity fraud continues to be the most serious fraud threat and that the first quarter of the year has been a very profitable one for organised identity criminals.

“Our data is just the tip of the iceberg - more needs to be done to identify the true scale of fraud in the UK and educate individuals about the dangers and the steps that can be taken to protect themselves.”

​Advice for online safety includes:

• Exclude important personal information from your social media ​accounts.